


Let the Last thing I Say Be the Last Thing You Hear

by Sagnessagiel



Category: Batman (Comics), DC Comics, Teen Titans (Comics)
Genre: Death, Disfiguration, F/M, Fire, Gen, Look out kids, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 09:10:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,195
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8706412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sagnessagiel/pseuds/Sagnessagiel
Summary: Old thing I posted to tumblr a while ago. Looks like I forgot to cross-post it.
In which Tim dies in a power plant, and then things start going downhill.





	

Talia sits completely still, kneeling at her father's side, as they listen to his generals relay reports and missions that are currently in action. She does not tap her fingers against her thigh, because she has been taught better than that, but her eyes have drifted once or twice towards the high catwalks that line the meeting room.

It's a minute movement, barely detectable and it lasts for only half a second at a time. Talia knows who will be looking at her and when, and she can evade questions about being _distracted._ The word stings in her thoughts, the implications clear. Distraction means sloppiness, and sloppiness means failure, as her father has said since she was a baby. It is unacceptable. But...

Talia has a reason for being distracted. She knows what today is, and she suspects that her father does as well. She only hopes she's hidden the fact that she knows well enough.

In a show of discipline her father would be proud of, she sits a little (impossibly) straighter and focuses her gaze. She is ready. She just has to wait.

* * *

 

The water of the Lazarus pit glows brightly in the dim cave. Talia wants nothing more than to get away from it.

She stands at her father's side. Watches him gesture for the chained cot to be lowered into the pit. Swallows when she sees the silhouette of a wooden slab descending towards them.

She knows that this is wrong. Knows that it won't work. It never works with others. Not like it does with her father. They lose pieces of themselves that make them who they are, and they become dangerous and unpredictable.

Ra's al Ghul is dangerous and unpredictable. It's what makes him the perfect specimen to lower into the pit. The child on that slab is not going to come out the way father wants him, and father knows that, but he has always had a soft spot for this particular orphan.

It is regrettable that it should turn out this way.

Talia closes her eyes momentarily, rests a hand against the holster at her thigh. She knows that father won't let her shoot. He didn't last time, and this one is even more valuable to him. She'll pull the gun, defend herself, but the mercy killing she has in mind will not be allowed to happen.

The bound and broken body on the cot comes into view for only a moment before it submerges in the water. Talia stands ready.

It will not end pretty when the child comes back up.

* * *

 

Bruce knows he could take it easier on the ninja, but he's far too angry to care. At this point, he's taking a page out of Jason's book and collecting teeth as he goes. It's not helping the ache in his chest.

It's been a few weeks since Tim went into the reactor core of a power plant and tried to stop the man in it from detonating a bomb there. Not nearly enough time for Bruce to properly sort his feelings and archive them into a nook in his mind where no one is ever allowed after the fact, and it's not helping that Ra's is sending ninja into Gotham for seemingly no reason at all.

He doesn't have time for this. Doesn't have time for anything nowadays.

One of the ninja is bent over his raised knee and he's preparing to snap something painful and non-vital (dealer's choice beyond those standards) when the ninja throws her hands up and looks at him with wide imploring eyes between folds of black.   
“We have a message!” She shouts, her voice the same yell as though she had just begged for mercy. Bruce stops for a fraction of a second and mulls it over, and the logical part of his brain does its best to convince him that a reason for all this would help matters a lot. He lowers his hands and picks her up by the shoulders, shoving her back first into the nearest wall so that her head knocks against the brick. She grunts in pain.

“You have ten seconds,” Bruce growls. She recovers much quicker than the average Gotham thug, which is a blessing for her.

“It is from her,” she says, as calmly as she can while her eyes are starting to squint away from the intensity of his gaze. She looks scared, which is surprising for one of Ra's ninja.

Bruce nods. Not Ra's then. Talia.

“She says that you should be ready when the time comes for her to make the run.”

Bruce's mind is already interpreting that every way he can when he lifts her again and slams her into the wall, knocking her unconscious. He taps on his comm, checking quickly that the signal jammer that is wreaking havoc on the local cameras didn't get damaged in the fight.

“Yes, sir?” Alfred's voice sounds tired, which is understandable. None of them have gotten much sleep for the last few weeks.

“I need a full status report on the League of Assassin's current missions and operations. Have O get on it fast.”

“Naturally, sir,” Alfred replies over the tapping of keys. Bruce taps the comm again and the line goes silent. Bruce breathes deep and checks that the scene is undisturbed besides the ninja. He knows they will be gone before anyone catches them.

The sun is starting to rise, which means he will have to go back soon. He would like nothing more than to collect a few more teeth before that happens. He fires his grapple and swings away.

* * *

 

Green water splashes everywhere as the child bursts out of the pit. Talia already has her gun in her hand, but she waits to take aim until there is a real threat. She is not yet the subject of the child's attention.

His eyes are ravenous as he flails his way out of the water, and Talia has a sense of déjà vu. This one, however, does not have the same scars, and there is one other difference.

It becomes more clear as the child makes his way out of the water and starts to fight off the available ninja. He does not kill anyone, which is surprising, but most of these people will die anyway soon. With the damage they sustain from this attack, they won't be of use to the League any more. Not ever.

His skin glows a dull yellow that has nothing to do with the pit. Talia watches in horror as his eyes well up with light and he screams as though he is being cut open. He stands paralysed for a few seconds, but then he is back to attacking again, and Talia gets to watch in horror as people around him start to burn and emit steam.

Father is looking more concerned than Talia has ever seen him, and that worries her more. They back up in unison and Talia takes a moment to consider how much disrespect it would be to just run away.

In the end, she takes a hold of her father and forcibly turns him to run. He obliges, to her surprise, and they head out through the tunnel that leads back to the elevators. As they run, they hear the child screaming. A high, unnatural sound.

“ _Where is he?_ ” the abomination screeches. “ _Where is he? He will die!_ ”

Father pushes her into an elevator and the doors close behind them. The tunnel is starting to glow with flame that comes closer, and Talia watches mesmerized. Her eyes widen just as the doors close, blocking the surge of heat.

Something clicks in her head.

* * *

 

She can't contact Bruce. Not yet.

The baby in the crib is cooing softly as she rocks it. Her eyes are glued to his face, taking in every detail of it and marvelling at how she can see them both in the soft features. He has his father's eyes, his hair, the beginnings of his defined chin. He also has his mother's slight curls, her olive skin, the more slanted shape of her eyes. The combination is both flattering and beautiful.

Talia rocks him slowly and considers the situation. She needs to plan out exactly how this will go. Needs to get some operatives into the field to find the abomination before her father does. It's vital that he does not know until the time is right. It is uncertain how much time this will take, but she is willing to observe and wait for as long as it takes. Anything for this plan to work.

Damian babbles and reaches for the hand that clutches the side of the crib. Talia doesn't smile, but she does reach down to let him grasp tightly at the fingers of her other hand. His grip is strong.

He will make a fine warrior some day.

She begins singing softly to the baby, hoping that he will go to sleep soon. She needs to get her plans in motion if this is going to work, and father has no doubt started already with the search. She doubts he will find the abomination. This one does not have the same damage to his brain as the last one did, and he has outsmarted the Demon's Head in the past. Once he regains his bearings, he will become untraceable.

Damian looks up at her with bright blue eyes. Her mouth tugs, but she can't smile. Can't seem weak. It isn't time.

* * *

 

Talia knows the time has come when the general that is speaking breaks off mid sentence. She knows why. They all heard the dull roar that signified an explosion somewhere on the mountain, felt the slight tremor that accompanied it.

Her eyes flit over the catwalk one last time, taking in the ninja that stands ready in the shadows there. Then she schools her face into a look of confusion and turns it on her father.

Ra's al Ghul is glaring at the door. His features are carved into annoyance, but the colour has started to drain a little bit out of his face. Talia's eyes widen.

There is another tremor, this one strong enough to shake them. It is coming closer. Ra's motions for his generals to stand ready, and they all turn with drawn swords on the grand doors that lead into the rest of the base. The ninja on the catwalk takes careful aim towards the exit he mans with a Shuriken.

Talia stands up and assumes a stance, ready to shield her father's body with her own. They all listen to the tumult outside that is the League's elite guard being torn apart and screaming. She breathes in slowly through her nose.

The doors swing open and a burst of extreme heat knocks them all backwards. A glowing yellow and red figure stands just outside it, open palm aimed towards them. They rear back and take aim.

The fight begins when the abomination lunges, and the first two generals block him with crossed swords. They watch in horror as the metal melts upon contact and the creature reaches to seize them both by their throats. They boil under his hands.

His head is bowed, his eyes unfocused. Talia wonders how aware he really is, whether this is just animal instinct like it was with the last one. She doesn't know which one she hopes for.

Ra's stands up behind her, and she hears the whisper of his sword leaving its sheath. If she's lucky, he'll attack before he asks her to.

The abomination makes short work of three more of the generals, and that leaves just the one general alone with Ra's and Talia. He looks scared, but he will give his life for the League.

A hand lands on her shoulder and she turns her head just slightly. The determination in her father's eyes tell her that she will have time enough. It's a rush for her that he does not know that.

The creature is just about to lunge for the last general when his flickering eyes land on the two of them. He tilts his head just far enough for it to look threatening, his mouth opening and closing as though he has nothing to say.

Then it stretches into a smile, and Talia much preferred the gaping.

“ _Ra's_ ,” it hisses, opens its mouth to show off blackened sooty teeth. Its face is a ghost of the boy that was there before, sunken cheeks and burning skin. There is no hair on its head, and the yellow glow intensifies as it stares, but the brightest thing by far is the eyes that now possess a terrifying focus.

“ _Ra's._ ”

Talia gets ready, but not for the fight that the abomination expects. She glances at the ninja above and he meets her eyes. Nods once. She nods back.

Everything is in place.

The glow starts to pulse, like the beat of a heart. Like the ticking of a bomb. Talia knows that this will be her chance.

“ _Demon's Head!”_ the abomination screeches. It pulses faster and raises its hands to aim at them the light that builds between its fingers. Ra's steps in front of Talia, and she sees her chance.

The beam is powerful and destructive, and they dodge it by the skin of their teeth. Talia makes her jump strategic, grabbing onto one of the elaborate tapestries in the room and climbing it nimbly. She swings her legs and makes it to the edge of the catwalk above, where the ninja helps to pull her up onto it. They look down at the fight for only a moment, making sure that Ra's and the abomination are sufficiently distracted. The creature is attacking non-stop, and Ra's has yet to find a way to fight back through the flames.

Talia steels herself and hopes that this will work. She pats the ninja on the shoulder, signalling that he is relieved of duty and may make his escape. He bows gratefully.

Together they make their way out of the room and split up, the ninja heading for freedom and Talia for the room at the ground floor of these headquarters. Everything is set in motion.

* * *

 

It has been ten months since Tim died, and Dick is sitting in Bruce's kitchen eating all the cereal that Alfred will allow in the house.

Bruce would say that he is too tired for this and that he wants to wash off the blood and grime of Gotham and just go to bed, but they both know that he wouldn't be able to sleep. The rage and grief may have calmed down a bit since the events ten months ago, but Bruce can see how it has affected his children. Dick is by far hit the hardest, and it shows in the dark (darker) circles under his eyes. He probably hasn't slept well in months.

It would be a losing battle for Bruce to try to comfort Dick right now and he knows that. He doesn't have nearly the amount of emotional tact it would require, and so he just sits down next to his soon and pours himself a bowl of Cheerio's. He skips the milk, and gets a raised eyebrow from Dick.

“You do know that these are pretty disgusting even _with_ milk, right?” he says, and his voice is rough from the crying Bruce knows has occurred before he decided to pay his family a nightly visit.

“It's _cereal_. These aren't to my usual taste anyway.”

Dick huffs, but there's the beginning of a smile on his face. Bruce counts that as a win.

They eat in silence for a while as Bruce tries to figure out what to say. He's had trouble with Dick's particular way of dealing with relationships and loss since he was a child. Dick loves with all his heart, and Bruce is lost when it comes to that kind of intensity.

After five minutes Dick looks at him eating, and for a moment it seems as if he's going to say something, but he doesn't have the time. There's a doorbell ringing, the sound cutting through the awkward silence. Bruce glances towards the door.

Dick breathes deeply and picks at his soggy cereal. Bruce can _feel_ him gathering himself to something respectable.

“We should answer it,” he croaks. Bruce considers arguing – it's two in the morning and whomever it is can come back tomorrow if they need to – but he has a feeling they're not going to get far tonight.  He mutters something affirmative and they both leave their early breakfast to answer the door.

Alfred is asleep because Bruce asked him to go to bed somewhere around half past twelve. It's been a hard few months on them all and even Bruce can see the way Alfred suffers from Tim's death. As a result, his workload has gotten a lot lighter since the boys and Cassandra and Stephanie all started subtly dealing with the dishes and the dusting.

Bruce checks the cameras that line the gate but there's no one there, so whomever it is either has an interview for Bruce Wayne or a personal relationship with Batman. He looks through the peep hole in the wooden door and startles at what he sees. He opens the door to Talia al Ghul holding a bundle and three bags that look like they should be too heavy for her.

“Talia,” he says, and he knows she can hear the questions in it. Behind him, Dick's eyebrows are rising to his hairline.

Talia looks between the two of them, her expression unreadable. She cradles the bundle that occupies her right arm closer to her, and something contracts in Bruce's chest. Talia visibly gathers her courage.

“My father is dead,” she says, and her voice is deceptively steady. Her eyes meet Bruce's and he knows from that look how sure she is of that. Ra's is dead.

A moment of stunned silence follows her declaration. The bundle in Talia's grip squirms and begins fussing, and that springs Dick into motion. He walks past Bruce and approaches Talia carefully, reaching to get a better look at the baby in the blanket.

“We need to get you two inside,” he says, in a daze. His eyes are glued to the child's face, and after some careful manoeuvring, he manages to pry the baby from her. Talia watches him warily, glancing at Bruce for confirmation, to which Bruce can only nod.

“You look exhausted,” Bruce says quietly. “Let's get you a room set up and you can tell us what happened in the morning.” He approaches hesitantly, and Talia gratefully lets him take some of the baggage slung over her other arm. They follow Dick inside, and as they walk Bruce allows himself to slip an arm around her waist and give it a light squeeze. He is grateful that she doesn't comment on it.

* * *

 

The Justice League visits the League of Assassin's main headquarters the next day. They search the mountaintops for days, but there is little more than dust left to find.


End file.
